The Statistics wireless network is part of the UWNet wireless service provided by DoIT. The wireless network in our area is identified with the SSID (Service Set IDentifier) of UWNet-Medical_Sci_Ctr, or UWNet-Service_Mem_Inst if you are in 133 or 140. Most Linux Netbooks have built-in wireless networking. Be sure the wireless network interface is turned on (some Netbooks have a switch that powers on the interface). Usually the network detection will be automatic. However, it may be necessary to manually set or change the SSID to UWNet-Medical_Sci_Ctr (or UWNet-Service_Mem_Inst) when using your Netbook in the Statistics area. If the network does not start as expected, check that the SSID is correct. The exact sequence to do this will depend on the Netbook's Linux interface.

Testing the Wireless Connection

To test the wireless connection, open a browser window (Firefox is the preferred browser). You should get a default web page with the title Welcome to UWNet with a left side-bar message Log in for Network Access. If you do not get this page, go back to the previous step and make sure your wireless hardware and software are fully installed, and that the wireless connection is activated and associated with the appropriate UWNet network.

Authenticating to the UWNet or Eduroam Wireless Network using the Browser Page

To use the full network from a wireless connected Linux Notebook you must log in to the network and be authenticated as a valid user. You can authenticate by entering your NetID and Password on the left side of the Welcome to UWNet screen. Once you get a Login Successful message, you will have access to the network. For additional details about the UWNet or Eduroam wireless setup and services, see the Wireless UWNet Info Page.

Authenticating to the UWNet Wireless Network using the VPN (Virtual Private Network) Utility

The VPN utility allows authentication before starting a web browser. It can be a convenient method when you suspend or hibernate your Linux session and keep multiple browser windows open. The Linux VPN utility is a bit complicated to use and it has some quirky behavior on initial startup and when restarted without an intervening shutdown. But here are the procedures to get the Linux VPN utility installed:

Follow the basic instructions at the WiscVPN (Linux) - Downloading and Installing the VPN Client to get the Linux VPN client installed. Since you do not have the Linux VPN utility installed inititially, you must use the Web page authorization (noted above) to get your computer initially authenticated to the UWNet wireless network. Or you can do the install from another wired or wireless off-campus connection.